BURLINGTON - Federal authorities in Vermont say an immigrant faces charges of lying to immigration authorities by denying involvement in war crimes during the conflict in Bosnia two decades ago.

An indictment says Edin Sakoc, a Bosnian Muslim, committed war crimes against a civilian Bosnian Serb family. He's accused of raping a Serb woman, aiding in the killing of two elderly people she was caring for and burning down the house they were staying in.

Authorities say Sakoc lied when he applied for refugee status and for permanent residence in the United States by denying any past crimes of persecution.

He is due for an initial appearance in federal court this afternoon in Burlington. Neither the court nor the public defender's office had a lawyer listed for him.